To make the most of your closet space it is important to set priorities, decide what you need, and to get rid of some of your stuff. It does not matter how large or small your closet is, at some point it is bound to become cluttered. Simple organizational tools and a mindset that you only need to keep things that you love are the easiest ways to keep your closet tidy.

To organize your closet and make the most of your closet space, take these simple steps:

See what you have - The first step out of any mess is to honestly determine what you have and what needs to be removed. Choose a day when you have several hours to devote to the project to begin. Although you do not need to finish the project in one day, the first step should be the most time consuming.

Before you pull anything from your closet, make sure you have somewhere to put it. While it is fine to place it on your bed, it probably is not smart to do that an hour before bedtime. Pull everything you own out of the closet. This means clothes, shoes, and storage boxes.

Survey the real estate - Once the closet is empty, look inside. It has probably been a while before you have seen the closet empty. You may have forgotten how much storage space you have. This is also a good time to clean the closet thoroughly, vacuuming or sweeping the floor and wiping off any shelves.

Gather the tools you need - What would it take to make this closet work for you? Do you need more shelves? More hanging space. Look at the type of clothes you store in there and then decide what would be the most efficient use of space. One example of this is if you normally wear slacks, skirts, shirts and jackets, a traditional one bar hanging system is not that efficient.

Consider hanging a second bar below the first. This doubles the space that you have to hang clothing. You may want to leave a small area with room for a few dresses, long coats or other longer items.

If you go to the gym on a daily basis, consider adding a couple of open baskets to the shelves. If you live in jeans and t-shirts, hang them in the most prominent spot in the closet. The clothes that you use most often should get center stage in your closet.

If you love shoes and have many pairs, it makes sense to invest it a specialized storage rack for them. If, however, you wear tennis shoes nearly every day, such an investment would be a waste of money and space. The point to remember about gathering the tools that you need is that there is no one right answer. The tools that work for one person may not work for another. That is why it is important to pull everything out of your closet and think about what you wear and how often you wear it.

Indentify an area for auxiliary storage - The closet should be for clothes only. It also should not contain off-season clothes. You will need to find another area of your home for all the miscellaneous stuff that makes its way into the closet. Off-season clothes can be stored in plastic containers and placed in the attic, basement, or garage.

Put it back together - Once you have pared things down so that only your seasonal clothes and shoes are headed back into the closet, it is time to return everything to its proper place. If you have some new shelving or hanging rods to install, now is the time. How you choose to organize your clothes is a personal matter. Some people organize by color, others by outfit. The important thing is to develop a system that makes sense to you. Once you have outfitted the closet with the proper organizational tools and pared down what is going into the closet, you may find that the order that you hang things in matters less.

Maintain - Once you have a perfectly organized closet you will want to keep it that way. The easiest way to do this is by putting things away properly, every time you wear them. Never toss something over the arm of your chair or wear clothes straight out of the laundry basket. Every time you go shopping, before you place the new item in your closet, consider carefully whether there is an item in your closet that it can replace. If so, remove the item and drop it off at your local charitable organization immediately. The decision to do this not only prevents your closet from filling back up, but it may also reduce the amount of money you spend shopping.